News

HSV's $100,000 Holden

Joshua Dowling, The Sydney Morning Herald, October 27, 2006

HSV has unveiled its flagship model before its arrival early next year, reports JOSHUA DOWLING.

HSVGrange

Would you spend close to $100,000 on a Holden? The company's performance car division, Holden Special Vehicles, hopes so.

This is the new-generation HSV Grange, the leather-lined performance luxury limousine based on the new Holden Caprice.

It was unveiled at the Sydney motor show yesterday but is not due in showrooms until early next year.

HSV says the new Grange will cost "less than six figures" but Drive understands that once dealer delivery, on-road costs and insurance are calculated, it will come close to $100,000, making it the most expensive Holden ever. The superseded Grange is $89,900 plus on-road costs.

Powered by a 6.0-litre LS2 V8 from the Chevrolet Corvette, the HSV Grange is said to sprint from rest to 100kmh in a little over five seconds, making it one of the world's fastest-accelerating limousines.

The new Grange is designed to compete with such European thoroughbreds as the high-performance versions of the Audi A8 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

HSV has its sights set firmly on exports with the new model, possibly the Middle East, where the Holden Caprice is already sold. The previous Grange sold in China in limited numbers last year.

The new Grange will have magnetically controlled suspension. The new technology, which is also used on the Corvette in the US and by Italian supercar maker Ferrari, cost HSV $4.5 million to develop. It allows the driver to choose between sports and comfort mode at the press of a button.

The Grange is distinguished from the Caprice on which it is based by a new, more aggressively styled front end and rear bumper and polished alloy 10-spoke 19-inch wheels. The front tyres are 200mm wide but the rear are 240mm wide for even better grip.

Unlike the HSV Clubsport, GTS and Senator models, which have their own tail-lights, the Grange shares the same tail-lights as its Caprice sibling, although a subtle spoiler and four unique exhaust tips help differentiate the two. The Grange also gets high-performance four-piston AP Racing brakes, which are now standard across the new HSV range.

As with the Caprice, the Grange is loaded with safety devices: electronic stability control, side and curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes, tyre-pressure monitors, rain-sensing wipers and ultra-bright xenon high- and low-beam headlights.